Automatic boot cleaner



Dec. 29

R. S. BROGE AUTOMATICIBOOT CLEANER Filed April 3, 1925 .2 Sheets-Sheeti Dec. 29, 1925. 1,567,832

R. s. BROGE I AUTOMATI C BOOT CLEANER Filed April 3. 192 s 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 injuring or marring them.

PATENT orrlca.

RICHARD 8. 330GB, 0! CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC noor CLEANER.

Application 'flled April 8, 1925. Serial No. 20,370.

To all whom it may canoe-m:

Be it known that I, RICHARD S. Bnoon, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an Automatic Boot Cleaner, of which the following is a specification. 1

This invention relates to" improvements in an apparatus for automaticallycleaning the shod feet of persons, or, rather, removing dirt,dust, mud, and the like from the shoes or footwear, as they walk upon the device on entering a room, hall, school building, theatre, church, or even a prlvate residence, if desired. The invention has for one of its objects the provision of an automatic boot cleaner, which shall be. simple and inexpensive in construction, strong, durable and highly efiicient in operation, which shall be of such construction, arrangement and combination of its parts as to be readily installed in a path to be trod by persons or pedestrians, such as, at the threshold or entrance to a building, in front of the threshold, for example, in a vestibule or lobby, or inwardly of the threshold, as within the room being entered, in such a way as to be unnoticeable and without offering any interference or danger to those walking on the same.

Another object is to furnish a boot cleaning device of such characteristics in its construction and arrangement of its parts as to require no effort or attention on the part of persons, treading the path in which it is located, other than the usual effort exerted in walking, and perhaps enough attention to see that each .foot shall be placed on the supporting bars of the device, in order that each may be cleaned.

Still another object is, the provision-of a boot cleaner, the parts of which shall be of such material, construction and operation as to thoroughly and quickly'clean the soles or lower portion of the. shoes without A still further object is the provision'of a boot cleaner of a highly sanitary character, that is to say, one of such construction that but little if any dust orfdirt removed from the shoes in the act of cleaning them, will escape from the container of the apparatus,

'but on-the other hand will be confined therein and depositedinto a removable re-. ceptacle, by means of hich the deposit description-and explanation, which will be I morereadily understood when read in conjunction with the aceompanying drawings, in which an embodiment of the invention is illustrated, it being understood that changes and modifications may be resorted to with out a departurefrom the spirit of the invention, so long as they fall within the scope of the appended claims forming a part hereof.

In the drawings,

- Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device showing it mounted in a suitable opening in a -horizontally disposed floor or platform so as to be about flush therewith.

' Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on for readline 2--2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows showing the cleaning elements and tread members of the device in about their normal positions.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows showing the driving mechanism for the various parts of the device, the means for adjusting the shafts of said mechanism, and illustrating means for automatically. starting and stopping the electric motor which drives said mechanism.

. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical "sectional view taken on line 4'4 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of one end of the frame of the device showing means for adjusting the positions of the 10 designates a platform, such as the floor of a building, which is provided with an opening 11 rectangular in shape and ofany suitable size, but usually of about the same width as the door-way to the room or hall in connection with which the device is used, and of sufficient length as to require at least two steps by thep'ersons entering the room to cross the same with his feet in contact with the tread ortion of the device in order that each s 0e shall be exposed or subjected to the cleaning elements of the device for a short length of time. The main frame is indicated as a whole by the numeral 12 and is of a sha e and size to correspond with the shape 0 the opening 11 and to fit ,snugly yet vertically movable therein. This frame may be of any suitable material but usually.

of wood and box-like 'in construction, and

is supported at each of its corners by means i .of a spring 13 interposed between a suitable supporting base 1 1 and the bottom of the frame, as will be readily understood by reference to Figs. 2, 3, and 4 of the drawings. The springs 13 areemployed to hold the main frame 12 normally with its upper surface about flush with the surface of the floor or platform, especially so at the sides thereof. The end portions ofthe frame 12, see Figs, are by preference disposed at their upper edges a slight distance below the surface of the floor 10 for the purpose of permitting a guard board or member 15 to rest on the upper portion of each of said end pieces so as to be flush with the surface of the floor or platform and to extend inwardly a slight distance with respect to the frame 12 in an upwardly inclined position, in which position each of said members will be normally maintained by means of coil springs 16 interposed between said members and the upper portion of the frame 12 near each side thereof.

In order to read the drawings properly,

it will be understood that the top of the view shown in Fig. 1 represents the entrance end of the device and the lower part of said viewof the other or exit end of the main frame. The frame 12 is provided on the inner surface of its front or entrance end piece. and its rear or .exit end piece with a pair of spaced vertically disposed guidewayso17=and 18 preferably of dove tail formation as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, whichx uide-ways are for the reception and operation of bearing plates or blocks, 19 and 20 respectively for the shafts of the cleaning elements carrying mechanism of the ing at one of its ends a rack bar 24 to endevie. The lower end, of each of the blocks 19 and 20 isbeveled as at. 21, see

Fig.' 3, 'to co-act with beveled portions 22 onv the upper surface of a bar 23 slidably mounted .on the lower inner surface of eadh of the said end pieces and each havgage inions 25 mounted on a shaft 26 Journa ed near its endsin' the lower part of said end pieces of the frame near one of their corners, as is clearl shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. This s aft 26 has one of its ends extended through-one of the end piecesofthe main frame. and formed to engage a wrench to be used for turningthe end alaterally extending arm 29 provided with a screw-threaded opening to engage a screw-threaded bolt 30 extended through a suitable opening onone of the side walls of the main frame near each of its ends.

Journaled at its ends in the adjustable or slidable blocks 28. and between the same is 'a shaft 31 which assists in the support and for the cleaning elements and prevents the same being exposed to dust and dirt removed from the shoes in the eleaning'operation thereof. This partition is provided with an opening 33 near one of its ends through which the shaft 31 is extended and said opening is of such dimensions as to permit of considerable vertical movement of said shaft without interference therewith. Near itsother end the partition 32 is provided with a vertical slot 34: through which the driving shaft 35 of the main cleaning elements is extended at one of its ends, said end being journeled in the adjustable block 19 mounted on the front end piece of the main frame.

Near the rear end piece of the main frame at a slight distance inwardly thereof .said frame is provided with another vertically disposed partition 36 which is provided with an opening 33 near one ofits ends and with a Vertical slot 34: near its other end for the reception" and operation of the shafts 31 and 35 respe(.*tively,-which shafts are journaled at their ends adjacent the partition 36 in the blocks 20' and 19 respectively of the rear end piecc'of the main frame.

Extended through suitable vertical slots '37 in the portion of the partitions 32 and through vertical slots'39 in each of the parthereon within the compartment formed by V V 'the partition '32 and the front end wall of the main frame a pulley 41 over which is extended an endless belt 42 for rotating said shafts. Each of the shafts 38 and 40 is provided between the partitions 32 and 36 with radially disposed bristles 43 of any desired kind and secured to said shafts in any well known way. These bristles or brushes maybe termed auxiliary cleaners or elements, andco-act with the main clean ing elements for cleaning the latter in a manner to beihereinafter explained.-

Mounted on the driving shaft to turn therewith and between the partitions. 32 and 36.is a drum or roller 44 which isprovided with a series of spaced circumferentially disposed grooves 45' for the reception and operation of a series of tread members or bars 46 whichare by preference ,-made of metaland extend from one of the sides of the main frame 12 to the other side thereof, see Figs. 1, 2 and 5 of the drawings These Y tread members or bars 46 present their edges yertically and are supported at their ends each by a pair of coil springs 47 nested I in vertical openings 48 arranged in s aced 1 foregoing arrangementv relation rwith one another in the si es of the main frame, each of which sides is provided in its upper inner portion with a series of spaced vertical slots 49, see Fig. 2, which slots not only afford guide-ways for the bars 46 but also furnish means to' restrict the downwardmovement of said bars when the latter are stepped upon. By the it is manifest that the tread members or bars 46 will be held in spaced relation to oneanother and for vertical movement by' means of the slots 49,

and the grooves in the roller 44 with which grooves'said slotsregister. 1

LMounted on the shaft 31, -whi ch shaft may be an idler, and between the artitions 32and 36 is a drum or roller 50 o the same construction as the roller-44, and above described. Extended over the rollers 44 and 50 between eachpair'of the tread members or bars 46 is an endless belt 51 which is provided on its outer surface witha series of bristles 52 of any suitable kind and in any well known way so as to provide an endless ibr ush-like formation to be presented to the soles or lowerparts of the shoes worn by persons as they walk upon and over the tread members of the device. The shaft 38 hasfmounted thereon within the compart= ment 53 formed by the partition 32 and the front end wall of the main frame a gear 54 which meshes with a pinion 55 journaled on a stub shaft 56 extended inwardly from the-block 19 of the front end wall of. the

main frame, which. inion meshes with a gear 57 mountedwit' in said pompartment frame and employed for co-operation with sov a contact member 64 carried by the main "J a contact member 65'mountedonthe base i or support 14 and having connection through a flexible conductor 66 with the armature of the motor. The contact members64 and-65 also have connection through conductor 67 with a supplyofelectricity.-

By thisarrangement it is apparent that as the main frame of the device is supported on the springs 13 for vertical movement, as soon as said frame isde'presscd by a person stepping upon the tread bars or members thereof, the. member 64 will contact with the member 65, thus causing the motor to be energized and through it and its gearing drive the mechanism carrying the cleaning elements. Furthermore, as soon as pressure is removed from the tread members of the device or the main frame it'is obvious that the'springs 13-wil1' react and thus cause the contact members 64 and 65 to be sepa-;

rated and the electric circuit broken, to the end that the operation of the device will cease.

As thetread members 46 normally extend 'a slight distance above the plane of the floor or platform 10, and as this protrusion might trip or cause pedestrians to stumble in walking across the bars 46, the spring supported and slightly inclined guard mem'- bers or plates 15 are employed, as it is obvious they will prevent the feet of persons coming in abrupt contact with the outermost bars or tread members.

In theevent the bristles or'shoe cleaning elements 42 become worn or shortened from use and it is desired to elevate the drums or'rollers 40 and 50 so as toelevate said cleaning elements to a oint about normally flush with the upper e ges of the tread members 46, itis manifest that byturning the shaft 26 in the proper direction, the wedge-shaped portions 22. of the bar 23 will co-act with the bearing blocks'19 and 20 in such a way as to raise them and consequently the said rollers which are journaled on said blocks. Should the endless belts 51 carrying the cleaning elements 52 become slack and it is character is provlded for cleaning the shoes of persons or pedestrians as they enter a building and Walk on and over the tread members of the device, and that by reason of the construction and arrangement of the parts as above set forth and shown in the drawings the dirt and dust removed from gthe shoes will be to a great extent prevented fromescaping into the room, but will be deposited into the lower-part of the main frame which may be equipped with a drawer which can be removed through a suitable opening in the main frame.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, it will be seenand understood that each of the tread members 46 is provided at each of its ends with a longitudinally extended reduced portion, which portions are located adjacent the sides of the main frame and have resting thereon boards 71, which boards may be secured at their outer edges to the sides of the main frame in any well known way and are employed to restrict the upward movement of the tread member 46- incident to the pressure of the springs 47 on which the rest.

Having thus illy described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

'1. In a boot cleaner, the combination witha platform or floor having an opening therein, of a main frame mounted 1n said opening with its upper portion almost flush therewith, a yieldingly supported guard late mounted at each end of said frame an extended inwardly and upwardly over a portion thereof, a. plurality of spaced tread members depressibly mounted in the u per portion of said frame and vertically guided thereby, said members being norm ally disposed at their upper edges in a horizontal plane with the upper portions of said guard members when the latterare in their normal positions, elongated shoe cleaning elements mounted for longitudinal movement between pairs of said members, and means for driving said elements.

2. In an automatic boot cleaner, the combination with a main frame mounted for elevation respectively of the main frame, a

plurality of spaced tread members horizontally and depressibly mounted in the upper.

portion of the main frame, elongated shoe cleaning elements mounted for longitudinal movement between and means operab driving said elements.

pairs of said members,

3. A boot cleaner including in combination, an open top main frame having in the upper portion of each of its sides a plurality of spaced and vertically disposed openings, a coil spring in each of said openings, each of said sides of the frame having at its upper edge .a vertical slot communicating with each of said openings but terminating short of the length of said openings, a tread member or bar horizontally mounted between the sides of the frame in a pair of said slots and supported by a pair of said springs, and means overlying the ends of said bars and carried by the sides of the frame for restricting the upward movement of said bars.

4. In a boot cleaner, the combination with a platform or floor having an opening therein, of an open top main frame mounted in said opening with its upper portion almost flush therewith, a yieldingly supported guard by said motor for plate mounted at each end of said frame and extended inwardly and upwardly over a portion thereof, each side of the main frame having in its upper portion a plurality of spaced and vertically disposed openings, a coil spring in each of said openings, each of said sides of the frame having at its upper edge a vertical slot communicating with each of said openings but terminating short of the length of said openings, a tread member or bar horizontally mounted between the sides of the frame in each pair of said slots and supported by a pair of said springs, and-means overlying the ends of said bars and carried by the sides of the frame for l1;estrictin the upward movement of said ars.

5. In a boot cleaner, the combination with a platform or floor having an opening therein, of an open top main frame mounted in said opening with its upperportion almost .flush with the upper surface of said platform, a pair of spaced rollers horizontally journaled on and between theends of the main frame and located in parallelism with one another near its upper portion, each of said rollers having a plurality of spaced circumferential grooves therein, a plurality of spaced tread members transversely mounted between and yieldingly supported at the upper portions of the sides of said frame and located in said circumferential grooves of .said rollers, an endless belt extended around the said rollers between pairs of said tread members and each having on-its outer surface shoe cleaning means, and means for driving said rollers. t

6. In a boot cleaner, the combination with a platform or floor having anopening therein, of anopen top main frame mounted in said opening with its upper portion almost grooves therein, a plurality of spaced tread members transversely and horizontally mounted between and yieldingly supported at the up er portions of the sides of said frame and located in said circumferential grooves of said rollers, an endless belt extended around said rollers between pairs of said tread members and each having on its outer surface shoe cleaning means, and

said rollers'having a p urality of spaced cirsaid frame an -wardly over a portion thereof and about osition of the said. tread members, an en less belt extended means for driving said rollers. p

7 In a boot cleaner, the combination with a platform or floor having an opening therein, of an open top main frame mounted in said, opening with its upper portion almost flush. with the upper surface of said platform, a air of spaced rollers horizontally journale on and. between the ends of the main frame and located in parallelism with one another near its u per portion, each of cumferential grooves therein, a plurality of spaced tread members horizontally and transversely .mounted between and yieldingly supported at the up er portions of the sides of saidframe and located in said circumferential grooves of said rollers, the

' upper edges of said members being normally disposed a slight distance above the upper surface of the platform, a yieldingly supported guard plate mounted at each' end of extendedinwardly and upflush with the normal around the said rollers between pairs of said tread members and each having on its outer surface shoe cleaning means, and means for driving said rollers.

8. In an. automatic boot cleaner, the combination with a main frame mounted for vertical movement, of an electric motor, a switch one another near its upper portion, each of said rollers having a plurality of spaced circumferential grooves therein, a plurality of spaced tread members horizontally and transversely mounted between and yieldingly supported at the upper portions of the sides of said frame and located in said circumferential grooves of said rollers, an endless belt extended around the said rollers between pairs of said members and each having on' its outer surface shoe cleaning means, and transmission means connecting said rollers to said motor for driving said rollers and said belts.

9. A boot cleaner including'in combina= tion a main frame having in opposed walls thereof vertical guide-ways, a bearing block mounted for vertical movement in each of said guide-ways, a shaft journaled in said blocks, a horizontally disposed bar mounted for longitudinal movement and having a beveled portion for co-operation with the lower. portion'of each of said blocks for raising-the same, and means for reciprocating said bars.

10. A boot cleaner including in combination a main frame having in opposed walls thereof vertical guide-ways, a bearing block mounted for vertical movement in each of said guide-wa s, a bearing late mounted on each of said b ocks for hor zontal movement and each havin an apertured arm extended laterally there rom, a screw-bolt extended through a wallof the main frame and en gaging the opening in each of said arms, a shaft ournaled in said bearing plates, and a horizontally disposed bar mounted for longitudinal movement and hav' a beveled portion for co-operation with the ower portion of each of said blocks for raisin the same, and means for reci rocatin said. ars,

are D s. ROGE. 

